BioWare aiming for greater scale, less linearity in Dragon Age 3

BioWare hasn't been keeping quiet in the face of Dragon Age II criticism, and the studio's explanations have been drifting from defiant to somewhat apologetic. Rather than dwell on the drawbacks of DAII, however, Lead Designer Mike Laidlaw and the rest of the Dragon Age team have begun focusing more on tentative promises, going over all the great things they plan to do for Dragon Age III.

The catch is Dragon Age III hasn't officially been announced yet, so technically, the game does not yet exist and the "promises" BioWare makes concerning in-game content are simply thoughts -- discussion points, if you will.

Still, we can hope. Over the weekend at PAX, Laidlaw led a panel with fellow Dragon AgeII devs, answering a variety of questions regarding the game and the hypothetical Dragon Age III. First off, the third game should put more power in the player's hands, meaning your decisions will actually matter again in the overarching story.

Secondly, the story will likely carry on the second game's mages versus Templar theme, though this long-standing conflict won't necessarily be the main plot.

BioWare is also planning to reinstate companion customization to some extent, though unique armors are likely here to stay, in order to give the companions a greater visual identity.

In terms of scale, Dragon Age III would be more similar to Dragon Age: Origins than Hawke's Kirkwall adventure time (read: Dragon Age II), and the main protagonist will be neither the Warden nor Hawke. If the end of Dragon Age II is any indication, Thedas' greatest threat might just be itself. As such, the new hero might be sent to a number of new regions like Orlais and familiar places like Ferelden.

The Warden and Hawke could be making cameo appearances in Dragon Age III, though like everything else, that remains unconfirmed. If BioWare does go through with this, let's hope their faces make the transition properly, without an odd swelling effect. You know what we're talking about, Dragon Age II players.

They stopped making Dragons Age when they made Dragons Age 2. It's almost an entirely different game, akin to how different Skyrim, Oblivion and Morrowind are each entirely unique in their feel and appearance.

I for one enjoyed Dragon Age 2 - several disappointing parts such as Clone-a-Cavern and Doppelganger Dungeons were annoying on occasion, as was the continual splitting between the different locations and hence the endless load screens.

Also, the armours were handled well. I never understood how as an Elf I could equip a Helmet and then give it to a Dwarf, and it still fit.

It does need more of a dungeon crawler loot feel, rather than *advance to get unique weapon and equip runes*.

The combat was better, a 2 Handed Sword which did something (AoE attacks), smoother combat, no retarded running... Endless improvements, and the linear story line was at least up front about it. Origins stories? Haha, don't make me laugh if you're calling them less linear. You got to choose your class and race, played 20 minutes in a unique area to get used to the way it handled, and then you got the started with a linear story.

Get rid of Hawke?? Are you kidding me?? They can't do this!! He's totally amazing. But I think it might be a misunderstanding in the article because in the same PAX dev-chat they also said: 'Hawke's story isn't done' and what this most likely refers to is the line 'If you want to see the warden and Hawke together it will most likely be in a game that doesn't let you control either one'.

Also Antipathy I completely agree. Yes DA2 had flaws, but ppl seeem to forget the improvements that were made. Also the storyline and characters were EPIC, ... and that is what in my opinion it is all about: 'story' ... You'd be VERY hard pressed to find a better one than DA2.

Jijan_Dax FYI, no one said anything about getting rid of the Warden or Hawke. The third game just won't focus on either of them -- probably. Similarly, DAII did not revolve around the Warden from Origins, but his/her story is clearly not finished.

I didn't think 2 was that bad. It had its flaws sure, and it was missing a few good aspects of the original, but overall there were a lot of improvements. Could use some more excitement, but I enjoyed the voice acting, graphics and other things. I heard a rumor that Bioware was considering taking away the full voiced main character in order for others to choose the race, but I honestly think I'd prefer to keep a voiced character.

Dragon Age II was a horrible let down. I have replayed the game 3 times already and I still find myself crawling back to DA:O. DA2 just didn't have the feeling of the original world of DA:O instead it just tell us a story of a human and his rise to power. Unlike DA:O where no matter what race you choose you can get a different outcome depending on the "CHOICES" you made. I WANT MY FREE WILL BACK!!